The Legend of Zelda: A Clash of Ages
by Ninmast
Summary: Frightening dreams haunt a young girl in the present while the ultimate battle to save all time begins. When Ganondorf uses the Triforce to invade the Present Day, will Link be able to stop him alone, or will he need to recruit the help of two teenagers?
1. Default Chapter

The Legend of Zelda: A Clash of Ages  
  
By: Ninmast  
  
Chapter 1: Dreams  
  
It was dark. It was so dark. There was fire. The girl was only barely aware of the heat. It wasn't after her, she knew. It would continue to engulf the wood in its midst, but, as long as she stood in the middle of the stone road, it would be unable to reach her. There were other things that frightened her - the dangers that weren't restricted by what they could eat. She could hear them now - the heavy slap of scaled feet, the shouts of pig - men. They were coming for her. She knew this just as she knew about the flames.  
  
The sounds got louder. She turned away from the sounds and began to run. She ran with all of her strength. But it wasn't enough. She could hear them getting closer. They would be on top of her at any moment. She dashed around the corner, but in her rush to put distance between her and her pursuers, her legs became entangled in her long gown, and she fell to the cold, stone ground, out of breath and exhausted.  
  
As she sat on her knees, panting, her eyes fell on two brown boots. As she lifted her head, her eyes took in the white breeches, the brown belt, the green tunic, and the white shirt. Then her eyes met his. His eyes were a deep, rich blue. They flickered defiantly in the firelight, as if all of the darkness in the world couldn't touch him. His thick, dark blonde hair sprouted freely out from under his green hat. When he looked at her, he smiled a perfect, white smile.  
  
Suddenly, her heart was filled with joy. This boy would protect her. He would make all of the darkness go away, and everything would be okay again. All of a sudden, the boy's eyes went dark. The change was so sudden that it scared her. The boy's mouth moved as he drew a sword from the sheath strapped to his back, but she couldn't hear him. All she could hear was the deafening sound of her pursuers. They were just coming around the corner.  
  
As if in slow motion, she saw him pull back his sword, getting ready to strike. She froze in fear. He was going to stab, and it was going to come right at her head. She felt herself yell at him, asking him what he was doing, begging him to stop. But he couldn't hear her any better than she could hear him, or he didn't care. The sword came slicing through the air skillfully and neatly, the firelight gleaming off of its sides. She shut her eyes, and covered her head, as if the blow was going to come from above, rather than from in front of her. As the final seconds passed, the only thing that could be heard over the fire and the monsters' shouts was a girl's blood - curdling scream.  
  
* * *  
  
Andi jerked up in bed, her strawberry - blonde hair flying up in front of her sweat-streaked face. "It was a dream," she told herself, not very convincingly. The shouts still echoed in her head, she could still feel the heat of the fire, and she could still see that sword coming at her head. Her throat felt raw. She realized that she must have been screaming her head off in her sleep. Something moved at the foot of her bed. The thought suddenly occurred to her that it wasn't a dream. There was a pig- man at the foot of the bed, and soon it was going to pop over the top, jump on top of her, wrap its grimy hands around her neck, and tear her head off, all the while, breathing its nauseating breath in her face. Every muscle in her body tensed, awaiting the certain attack that would end her life. There was the click of a switch as the light came on overhead, and, over by the light switch, stood Paul, her roommate. In a rush, memories came flowing back, reminding her of where she was.  
  
"Are you okay," Paul asked her, his face full of concern.  
  
"Yeah," she sighed as she relaxed. "Yeah, Paul. I'm fine. It was just a nightmare."  
  
"You wanna talk about it," he asked, sitting down on his bed, the one across from her. "It might make you feel better."  
  
Andi considered the suggestion for an instant, then the memory of it all came back to her, and she shuddered. She shook her head. "No, I don't think I want to drag it all up just yet."  
  
"Okay," he shrugged as he stood up, "suit yourself. I'm going to go ahead and get ready for that convention."  
  
"This early," she asked, surprised. "I thought it didn't start until, like, eight, or something."  
  
Paul smiled widely, showing his white teeth as he flicked a lock of brown hair off of his forehead. He walked over to the window and, without a word, pulled the window shade. Sunlight flowed in through the window as the sun rose over the horizon.  
  
"Huh?" Andi sat up straight as a board. Sunlight already? How could that be? It had been so dark.. She pulled her mind away from those thoughts. "What time is it?"  
  
"About six o'clock. I want to leave early, otherwise there will be a line a mile long."  
  
"You're joking, right?"  
  
"Nope," he answered as he picked up a couple of packages off of a chair on his way to the bathroom.  
  
Andi laid back against her headboard and smiled. She couldn't believe that a video game could have that kind of an audience. How could millions of people be so engrossed with a game that they would spend all day listening to people tell all about it? She, herself, couldn't seem to enjoy video games that much. A simple game of Solitaire could pass the time just as easily for her. Then there were people like Paul whose lives revolved around games. "Okay," she told herself, "that's not completely fair. He doesn't drool over every game he sees. Just this one." Although she couldn't decide if that was better, or worse. It wasn't like he was a nerd, or anything. He was very athletic, good looking, and intelligent, if you could overlook his little habit of being tactless.  
  
She was still following this train of thought when someone came out of the bathroom. Her eyes fell on the green outfit as her mouth fell open. At first, nothing came out. Then, suddenly, she screamed. He rushed to her, but she backed away, falling out of her bed. "You!" she screamed. "No, you were just a dream! No, you can't be here!" He grabbed her, trying to keep her from thrashing, but she only struggled harder. "No! Leave me alone!" He shook her hard, and she stopped struggling, stunned. She started to cry. "Please, please, don't kill me."  
  
"Andi," he said. She continued to cry, repeating her plea over and over. "Andi, stop. Andi, stop, it's me! Andi, it's me, Paul!" He ripped the hat off of his head and threw it across the room, showing his brown hair. "Andi, see? It's only me!"  
  
She stopped, then looked at him again. It was him. She found herself staring into his blue eyes, but suddenly they reminded her of that boy in the dream, and she moved her gaze back to his hair. She reached up and ruffled it with a free hand.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay," Paul asked again, getting off of her and helping her up.  
  
"I saw a boy dressed just like that in my dream." She sat down on her bed, hugging herself as she tried to get a grip on herself. "The shirt, the breeches, the boots, the hat, everything. The only difference was that he was blonde." Thinking about it brought back the images from the nightmare, and she looked at Paul to try to draw some reassurance. His face, however, looked just as troubled as she felt.  
  
He went over to his bed and picked up a poster and showed her part of it. "Is this him?"  
  
She looked at the picture he showed her. It showed a teenage boy in green holding a sword and shield, looking as if he was ready to take on the world. From the way he was holding it, she was able to read the title above the boy's head. It read, "The Legend of Zelda." She nodded when she first saw the picture, and had opened her mouth to affirm the gesture, but, when she saw the title, she closed it again. That was the name of the game that Paul was always playing. She never watched him play, but he was always talking about it. Instead of answering him, she said, "This is what you're going to the convention for, isn't it?"  
  
He rolled the poster up and sat down. "Yep. My question is, why are you seeing Link when you've never even seen the game?"  
  
That was what was troubling her, too. "Link, that's the boy on the poster?"  
  
He nodded. "Maybe you should tell me about your dream after all."  
  
She told him all of it. She told him about the darkness, and the fire, and the stone road. She told him about the sound of the pig-men, and her tripping over a long dress, and seeing a boy that she knew could save her. She told him about the relief she felt in seeing him, then the horror she felt when she saw him change. She told him about the glimmer of the sword in the firelight as it cut through the air toward her head. When she was finished, she curled up into a ball and shook.  
  
When she had regained enough control over herself, he said, "You said that he used a sword. Was this it?" He reached back and pulled the one that was in the sheath. Andi had expected to see a plastic one, but the one he pulled out was real, and the light glimmered off of its polished sides in a way that wanted to make her run, to jump out of the window screaming. He saw her jump, and slowly laid the sword down on the table between them. "I'll take that as a, 'yes.' Don't worry, it won't hurt you. You're safe."  
  
Andi closed her eyes and cupped her face in her hands. "I know, Paul. If it had just been a dream, and ended there, I would be over it. But too many things have happened, too many weird coincidences. I don't know what to think anymore. First, seeing you come out dressed up like that boy, then you having that sword. Where did you get that accursed thing, anyway?"  
  
He smiled at her description. "We had a lot of woods behind our house, and when I was little, I used to go exploring in them a lot. Well, one day, I went deeper into the forest than I ever had before, and I found this weird grove of trees. It was like they arced together in a kind of doorway, or something. Or so it seemed to a ten-year-old boy. I went through it, and the tops of the trees came together so tightly that it cut the light out completely. I probably should have turned back, and I was so afraid of the dark that I almost did, but my curiosity got the best of me, and I kept on going. I don't know how long I walked, but when I reached the other end, I saw something that I will never forget. The tunnel opened into a large room. There is really no other way to describe it. The forest had grown together so tightly that it formed a wall as solid as any made of stone. It went up as far as I could see, and at the top, it opened up to let a single beam of sunlight in. That light came down and lit up a single slab of stone, the only one in the entire place. The rest of the area was grass, but it wasn't the stiff, sharp stuff that you see everywhere else. It was soft, like walking on feathers. The stone had something written on it, but it had to be ages old. It should have been worn away. Even then, I realized that it wasn't normal, that the whole place was impossible, but that even made it more enchanting. I tried to read it, but most of it was in a different language, or something. It looked like a bunch of lines to me. There were two words that I could read, though. 'Paul Joseph.' Me. My name was on that stone. Whatever that place was, it was made for me. Then I saw what was at the foot of the stone. A sword laid there, with the purple hilt facing the stone, and the silver blade pointing down. Wrapped around the hilt was a necklace with a red jewel in it. It took all that I had in me to drag that sword back to my house. I hid it under my bed to keep my parents from seeing it, but every chance I got, I pulled it out and stared at it. Eventually, when I got strong enough, I practiced with it, sometimes for hours on end until my arms felt like they would fall off. There were times when I didn't even want to do it. I guess it was just habit by that point, but it just felt like the right thing to do, like it was what I was supposed to do." He pointed to the sword that now laid on the table and finished, "This is that sword."  
  
"Wow," Andi said, awestruck. "What a story! But whatever happened to that necklace?"  
  
"Oh, that," he smiled as he pulled a chain out from under his shirt. "I've kept it with me. I've worn it ever since I found it. I guess it's sort of like my good luck charm." He pulled the chain out the rest of the way to reveal a smooth, round ruby about an inch in diameter.  
  
Andi leaned closer to the jewel, her eyes growing wide. She had never seen a jewel that big. She stared at it, watching how it caught the light and held it within itself, seeming to glow on its own with a red light. "It's beautiful," she sighed. "Is it real?"  
  
She almost cried as he put it back under his shirt. "I don't know," he replied. "I guess I never wanted to find out. I don't even want to think about how I would feel if I found out it was fake. Nothing so beautiful could be made by the clumsy hands of man, anyway, could it?"  
  
Andi sat back and smiled. "No, I guess not." Then, as another thought occurred to her, she said, "Do you still practice with that sword?"  
  
"Yeah," he nodded. "More and more each day. It's gotten to the point where it doesn't feel normal without it in my hand. My arm just feels too light, or something." Then he stood up. "But, hey, no sense in dwelling on these things," he said as he resheathed the sword and turned to go. "The convention awaits!"  
  
"Uh, hey, Paul?"  
  
He turned around to face her. "Yeah?"  
  
She looked down and started fiddling with her nails. "Do you think that I could go with you? I mean, so much weird stuff has been happening this morning, I kinda don't want to be alone. Do you mind, I mean, is it okay, or," she looked up at him beseechingly, "can I stick with you, today?"  
  
He smiled, a big, white, comforting smile. "Sure, no problem." Then an idea struck him. "Hey, it might help you get your mind off of things if you participate, too."  
  
She looked at him questioningly. "How would I do that? I don't even know the first thing about the game."  
  
"Oh, that's okay. I actually had something else in mind. You see, there's this costume contest at three. Whoever has the best costume wins. The only problem is it's for groups. There has to be at least two people."  
  
Andi held up her hand. "Paul, if you're wanting me to wear a costume, why don't you just say so? I don't have a problem with it, as long as I don't have to wear something that makes me look stupid as I'm driving down the street."  
  
Paul smiled again. "Oh, I don't think you'll have to worry about that. In fact, I think you might like it. You wouldn't mind dressing up like a princess, would you?" 


	2. He Arrives

The Legend of Zelda: A Clash of Ages

By: Ninmast

Chapter 2

Apparently, they made quite a site as they drove to the convention. Several times when they stopped at a light, a kid would stop and point at them, yelling to someone else. Sometimes, though, they would just stand there and stare.

At the eighth dumbstruck kid, Paul couldn't help himself anymore. He rolled down his window and yelled to the kid, "Greetings from Hyrule!"

Andi slapped him on the arm as he pulled his head back in. "Will you grow up?" She looked over as he was waving to another kid. "Oh, roll that window up, will you? You're so embarrassing. Next thing you know, you'll be signing autographs, or something."

"Can't," he said as he turned to her, grinning broadly. "I can't read Hylian."

He looked at her, and was almost fooled, himself. His costume had been a dual one, with a Zelda costume in the package, as well. Now, Andi was dressed like the Princess of Hyrule, and the similarity was striking. He almost regretted offering the idea, because she took another hour just to get ready. But when he saw how she had fluffed and curled her hair, and put on her make up, he forgot about the time. She had been worried that she wouldn't look right because she didn't know how she was supposed to look in the first place, but when Paul showed her a picture of the princess, she did a double take. She had dressed up exactly like her without even knowing it.

He jumped as the car behind them honked. He jerked his head up and looked at the light. It had turned green, and he hadn't even noticed.

* * *

The convention was crowded. They had to wait an hour to get through the line, but once they were in, Paul's eyes widened. He tried to look everywhere at once, trying to take in everything. _He looks just like a kid in a candy shop_, Andi thought as she watched him. There was a ton of things going on at once. In one room that Paul seemed to lead them to unerringly, hundreds of giant televisions were set up, each one hooked to a system, and each one, Paul explained to her, was playing a Zelda game. All over the place, there were hundreds of booths selling what they insisted was exclusive LoZ merchandise. One of the smaller crowds that they passed had been made of a group of girls that were arguing, as best as she could tell, about how many girls had a crush on Link. From the way some of them were swooning, she guessed that they weren't just counting characters from the video game. All around them, people were dressed as characters from the game, although there were a few that only wore a labeled hat or shirt, but those were few and far between. All day, from the speakers hidden all over the complex, music that was apparently from the games played in between announcements of events and public messages.

"Wow," Andi said, amazed at the activity. "This place is huge!"

"Yeah," Paul agreed. "It's gigantic. C'mon," he said, grabbing hold of her arm and pulling her toward a counter that he had just seen. "We need to register for the costume contest before we forget."

When they got up to the desk, the man behind it did a double take, his jaw going slack.

"You know, you should probably get that fixed," Paul said, gesturing toward the jaw. "Imagine how embarrassed you would be if you drooled on yourself."

The man shook his head and closed his mouth. "I'm sorry, it's just that you caught me by surprise. I've seen several hundred costumes, already, today, but you two are the best I've seen. For a moment, I was sure that I was looking at the real thing. Kinda silly, huh?"

"Not really," Paul smiled. "We got the same reaction on our way here. You wouldn't believe how many people stared at us as we were driving here."

"I can believe it," the man said as he pulled out the appropriate forms and handed them to them. "I'm surprised you didn't cause a catastrophe on the expressway. Read through that and sign on the bottom line, if you will." He waited as they did so, then took their forms and put it in a tray with identical papers. "Best of luck to you, and have a good day."

"Thank you," Andi said as Paul started to pull her away, already trying to go somewhere else, "and you, too."

* * *

Andi spun around, trying to see everyone in the giant ballroom. While Paul had been enveloped in one thing to do with the games after another, she had been enthralled by all of the thousands of people there. Now that the costume contest was about to start, most of those people were packing themselves into this one room. If it had been empty, she was sure she could shout across it, and someone on the other side wouldn't eve be able to hear her. Now, with so many people in it, it almost seemed too small.

"Wow, Paul! This is incredible! And look at all of the costumes! There are some really good ones!"

Paul looked around. Yes, there were definitely some good costumes. There were even a few Gerudos that were pretty convincing. In the corner sat a girl that looked like the young Malon. There were even a few people with Goron costumes on, although these weren't quite so life-like. Of course, what could you expect when you had to wear a full-body costume? He just hoped the judges took mercy on them. It would be a real disappointment to sweat in a suit all day just to lose because you couldn't mimic giants that ate rocks for food. He told his thoughts to Andi, who nodded in agreement.

"Excuse me," called a man that had just stepped in front of the microphone on the stage. "If you will all quiet down a bit, we'll get on with the results." Immediately, it was silent, and the man continued. "We have had some great costumes today, haven't we?" He waited as the room cheered. "Unfortunately, only one group can walk away with the trophy, the prize money, and the ultimate gift package!" Once again, the room erupted in cheers.

The man pulled out a sheet of paper and looked it over. "Now, if I call your group's name, will you please come up on stage? This year, we have two honorable mentions. Our first one is a threesome of desert bandits, consisting of a Gerudo Guard, a Gerudo Shop owner, and a Gerudo Cell Guard. Rista Cambell, Tanya Connor, and Lana Norway, will you please come up here?"

There was a burst of cheers as the Gerudos that Paul had noticed earlier jumped for joy and ran for the stage. He handed each of them a ribbon, then directed them to stand behind him.

"Next, we have a small family of humble ranch owners, producers of the finest milk and horses in all of Hyrule. These two really are related! John Rogers and his daughter Christy, or should I say, Talon and Malon, the owners of Lon Lon Ranch, the finest ranch in all of Hyrule!"

The room applauded as the girl stood up from the wall and walked up to the stage beside a round man that must be her father, her face lit up brightly with an elated smile. The man gave them ribbons, as well, and directed them to stand behind him.

"Now, folks, the top three contest winners!" The room erupted in cheers again, and he waited for them to die down before continuing. "I have to tell you guys, I have great respect for these next participants. They have been spending the entire day in hot, sweaty costumes, and for that, I'm glad they made this." Paul and Andi's eyes met, and they smiled at each other, anticipating the call. "Hailing from the deadly Death Mountain, an active volcano that looms forbiddingly over the humble Kakiriko Village, Big Boss Darunia, and his brothers, the Gorons!" He didn't need to call out the names this time. They were the only ones there dressed like Gorons, and they marched like it, tall, proud, and wide, their arms swinging beside them as they paraded up to the stage.

The man congratulated each of them with a handshake, and was jokingly afraid to give it to the one dressed like Darunia. Unfortunately for him, the guy was really into the part, and when he did shake the announcer's hand, the man almost doubled over in pain, struggling to keep a smile on his face.

"Coming in second," the man said as he turned back toward the mike, gingerly flexing his hand, "the generous creators of Hyrule. The Goddesses that watch over it, and guide it, and provided it with the mighty Triforce as a focal point for the lives of all who live in Hyrule. The three Goddesses, Din, Farore, and Nayru!"

Promptly, three young women that Paul hadn't noticed on the other side of the room stood up and walked up to the stage. They were dressed according to the Oracle games, and it was plain that at least the hair on Nayru was a wig.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the question that you all have been waiting for! Who will be the number one, grand prize first place winner? Well, let's find out! Sound board, drum roll, please." He reached behind his back to pull an envelope from his pocket as the sound of drums echoed through the silent room. He opened it slowly, then read it over to himself. He took his time putting it back into the envelope and setting it down on the podium, letting the suspense build in the room until the very air started to crackle.

Paul looked down in surprise as his hand brushed Andi's and a spark passed between them. So it wasn't the suspense, after all. The air really was electric. He shook his head. Weird. He tried to ignore it as the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He told himself that it must just be from so many people being in the same room and turned his attention back to the stand.

"Protectors of the Triforce, these two and their descendants have fought for centuries against the tyranny of the evil Ganondorf. Our first place winners this year are none other than the Hero of Time and the Sage of Time, themselves, Link and Princess Zelda! Paul Joseph and Andi Johnson, come on up here, and congratulations!"

Before he could think, Paul picked Andi up, twirling her around as the room exploded in applause. He set her back down, then grabbed her by the hand and practically drug her up there as they ran for the stage.

The announcer pulled a trophy out from under the podium. It was two feet tall and gold. It had a pillar in the center. On either side stood Link and Zelda, and at the top sat a miniature three-piece Triforce. "Congratulations, you two. I can see why you won. I almost did a double take! Judging by the look on their faces, the other contestants were a little shocked, too!"

Paul turned around to look, and, sure enough, the Gerudos and the Gorons both had strange looks on their faces. He turned back around as the announcer continued.

"Say, how about you two give us a pose, huh? Since you can dress like them, I'm sure you can do a pretty good impression."

Paul looked over at Andi, but her face was red, and she turned it away slightly. He turned back to the announcer. "How about I just do it? She's a little shy, especially in front of a crowd like this."

The announcer smiled wide and said that that would be okay. He stepped off to the side to let Paul up in front.

Paul stepped up confidently as he pulled his shield and sword off of his back in one smooth movement, the light glistening off of the sword's blade. He stood there for a moment, staring at the crowd daringly. Then, as if the sword was as light as a feather, he swung horizontally, slashed vertically, then stabbed straight out, then held it without even the slightest sign of shaking in his hand. The crowd went wild. Paul's face broke into a smile, and he couldn't help but show off a little more. Quickly, he jumped backwards, then jumped toward the crowd again as high as he could, bringing the sword down level with the ground as he went down on one knee.

That was when it happened. The static in the room suddenly flew to fever pitch. Strands of even Andi's long, heavy hair was drifting up. Suddenly, an invisible force pushed everyone out of the middle of the room with enough force to slam them into the walls. Paul could feel the hairs on his body drift in that direction, as if all of the charge in the air was focusing in that place.

The entire room stared on as a tiny ball of dark light appeared in midair. As it got bigger, it seemed to spin, drawing in the energy around it until it was the size of a large doorway. A great concussion of air spread out as the energy was rent wider, and a dark-skinned man walked through. He was tall and commanding, but his hair was like fire, and his eyes were piercing black. He stepped in as if he owned the place, looking around as if already familiar with everything there. He looked down as a young man walked up to him, dressed in a horrid mockery of his black armor.

"Hey, awesome entrance, dude! Cool costume, too! But you missed the contest," he said, gesturing to the stands. "They just announced the winners."

The man's black eyes flashed for a moment as they landed on Andi and Paul, but then he saw how they cringed, and he looked away, almost disappointed. "Then they didn't make it. Too bad."

The boy, however, misunderstood completely. "Hey, don't be bummed out, man! There's always next year! Besides, we both know one thing! The bad guys rule!" He held up his hand, expecting a high five, but he wilted back as the dark man scowled back at him.

"I am not one of you filthy commoners here to dress up and play pretend, boy."

The boy apparently reminded himself that this had to be all fake, and he reached up to slap the man on the back. "Come on, you don't have to take it that hard! Cheer up!"

"Don't touch me!" the dark man shouted, knocking the boy's arm away with enough force to send him back against a table, which broke under the blow. He held his arm up and turned his palm out to face the boy. "I told you, I am not one of you pathetic fools. And, now, I will prove it to you!" Orange energy formed in the palm of his hand as sheer terror spread across the boy's face. The man's face turned to a scowl as the ball reached full power. "Now, die!"

The next instant, the blast flew from his hand, and a cloud of dust lifted up. When it settled, the entire room shrank back in horror. There was nothing left of the boy but a charred, black skeleton, bits of melted plastic cooling and hardening in ugly bubbles on the remains.

The dark man grinned satisfactorily, then turned around, spreading his arms wide as he addressed the room. "Witness my power, and tremble in fear," he boomed. "I am Ganondorf, and your world is now mine!" He looked around at the thousands of white faces, frozen in place, paralyzed with fear. He smiled widely, then stuck his head out with a loud, "BOO!" He threw his head back and laughed as they all screamed, breaking into a stampede for the door, except for those who were on stage, who couldn't get off for the tide of people below them.

"That poor boy," Andi moaned, her eyes riveted on the skeleton as if she couldn't turn away. "What could he have done to deserve that?"

Paul's eyes, however, were locked on Ganondorf, his grip on the sword tightening so much that it was shaking. "Nothing, Andi. That's just it. He did absolutely nothing. But this man doesn't care. The more chaos, destruction, and horror that he can spread, the better. That's how he gets his thrills."

The floor was almost completely empty now, and Ganondorf looked up at them as he started to move toward them. He looked down at Paul's hand, and his face broke into a grin again. "Did my actions disturb you, boy? Did I make you angry? I'll bet you want to tear me limb from limb for it, don't you, boy?"

Paul took a step forward, but Ganondorf raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The next moment, someone had grabbed him from behind. He started to struggle, but before he could, he felt the cold brush of a dagger across his neck.

"Now, don't go doing something that you're going to regret, handsome," a female voice drifted from behind him. "We wouldn't want to lose a pretty boy like you, would we?"

Paul looked down and saw the woman's billowy, white pants. "You … you're one of the Gerudos that got Honorary Mention!"

"Hmph! You're a sharp one! We should have gotten higher, but that's okay. We were where we needed to be. The problem with you people is that you don't recognize the real deal when you see it. I mean, come on! You people don't even have real ears!" She flipped the rounded tip of his ear playfully to emphasize her point.

Ganondorf walked up to him, then gestured with his finger for him to bend down toward him. Before Paul could respond, the Gerudo behind him forced him down on his knees and bent his head down to his chest. "You will bow to your king, like a respectful subject," the Gerudo ordered behind him.

Ganondorf scowled for a moment. "Let me see his face." Suddenly, his head was yanked back up by his hair, and he found his eyes staring into the piercing, black points of the most evil man alive. Ganondorf smiled slightly. "You know, boy, you look surprisingly like him. Yes, the resemblance is definitely there. Although," he continued as his face broke into a focused, thoughtful look. He reached up and ripped the hat off of his head and threw it across the room, grinning maliciously. Then he reached up and ruffled his brown hair. "No, not quite. Close, but not close enough." He laughed as he turned away. "Lock him up somewhere, along with the rest of them! They might be helpful to me later."

Paul bristled with anger as the Gerudo yanked him back up on his feet. "And if we refuse?" he shouted at the evil man's back.

Ganondorf turned slowly back around. "Well, then, my brave boy, if you won't help me, then I suppose you would have lived out your usefulness, then, wouldn't you? Take them away!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the Gerudos reach for the one dressed like Darunia. When she did, however, his arms shot out and grabbed her by the shoulders, and he picked her up and hurled her across the room. "You dare touch Darunia, Big Boss of the Gorons, and the Sage of Fire?"

Paul's jaw went slack, as well as everyone else's. The face had changed! It wasn't a costume!

Ganondorf whirled around. "Darunia? No, it can't be! Slit his throat and let's see the blood flow! Then we'll see just how much of a Goron this actor really is!"

The Gerudo that had been tying up the girl dressed like Malon and her father jumped up immediately, grabbing a sickle that was lying beside her. She ran toward him and swung hard, but he just caught it with the blade toward him, his large hand covering the entire weapon, as well as the woman's whole hand as he laughed almost merrily. "Your little toys can't hurt me!" He gave her a quizzical look. "Do you not believe I am who I say? Here, let me prove it to you!" He effortlessly picked her up off of her feet by the weapon, then reached around and plucked her off with his free hand, dropping her rudely on the ground. He took the weapon in between his finger and thumb on each hand and snapped it in two like a toothpick. The Gerudo didn't waste any time. She turned tail and ran out the door.

Ganondorf, however, paid her little heed. "Pathetic coward," he muttered before turning his gaze back to Darunia. "So you really are here, then, aren't you? No matter. I know how to deal with your kind." He raised his hand again, this time toward Darunia, as another orange ball grew in its center.

Darunia didn't even flinch. He merely stared right back at him, as if daring him to strike.

Ganondorf just laughed. "Don't be ridiculous, Darunia. I wouldn't waste my energy. For a race of blockheads, you Gorons have an amazingly thick hide." He swung his arm to aim toward Andi. "The girl, however, …"

"No!" Paul screamed. Before he knew what he was doing, he slammed his head back into the Gerudo that was holding him, stunning her. He threw her arms off of him and tackled Andi, sending them both off of the stage just as the blast fired. White fire raced across his back just as they went off, and he screamed in agony.

Ganondorf laughed as he walked over to them. "You're a brave one, boy, if not a bit stupid," he said as Paul struggled to get off of Andi, grimacing at the fire that still raced over his back. Paul struggled up to his knees, but Ganondorf slammed his hand onto the burn on his back, rubbing his hand around in it. Paul screamed again as the pain exploded in his back again. He bent down to him, his hand still pressed against the burn. "You still want a piece of me, boy? Because I just took a fine chunk out of you!" 

Paul struggled to force himself back up to his hands and knees. "You are no man, Ganondorf! You're a monster! We haven't done anything to you. Why? Why are you so intent on destroying us?"

Ganondorf burst out laughing again as he stood up. "Because you're in my way, boy! That, and I like to hear you scream. Blame your looks, if anything. To torture you is almost like torturing him." His boot came down on his back, digging in to the burn. "Now, scream!" Paul bit his tongue until it bled, but he refused to give in. After a few moments, Ganondorf let up, perplexed. "Why don't you scream, boy? Why do you hold it in? You know it will only make it worse, and I will only keep going until you do." When Paul didn't respond, he bent down and grabbed hold of his face with his hand, forcing him to look at him. "Answer me, boy!" Paul spit the blood from his mouth out on his hand, and Ganondorf threw his head back down. "Fine! Have it your way! You seem to care for the girl, so I'll just torture her, instead! After all, there's so much more you can do to females. Don't worry, I'll let you watch the entire thing!"

Paul groaned as he forced himself up. His hand fell on the sword, and he gripped it instinctively. "Over my dead body!"

Ganondorf looked up, slightly surprised, then grinned evilly. "As you wish. Over your dead body, it is! Or rather, over that stupid boy's dead body!" He threw his hand toward the black skeleton, his entire body glowing darkly. "Creature that I have slayed with my own hand, in death, you shall be my servant! Rise up now, I command you!"

Paul and Andi looked on in horror as the boy's skeleton stirred. It tried to get up, but the plastic from the costume held it to the table. It leaned back, then yanked forward, and the remnants of the table gave way as the part it was stuck to burst into splinters.

"Very good," Ganondorf said. "Now, arm yourself, and rid my presence of this annoying boy!"

It looked at its hands for a moment, then looked around. Finally, it bent over and picked up a leg from the table. Slowly, yet deliberately, it started to walk toward Paul, its empty sockets focused on him. He could smell it before it even came close. It smelled of burnt flesh, bones, and plastic. Worst of all, though, was another smell that lay beneath those. Death. Yes, if such a thing had a scent, it was coming off of the monster before him now. Paul didn't have a choice. He raised the sword in front of him, praying that there was some way to kill something that was already dead.

* * *


	3. In Hyrule

****

Author's Note: Certain people have been urging me to hurry up and get this story to Hyrule, so here it is. Hope you all enjoy it! Don't forget to read and review!

Chapter 3: In Hyrule, …

When Zelda looked up again, Link wasn't standing in front of her anymore. She turned around when she heard him yell, and watched as the Master Sword slid through the last Moblin. She sat there for a moment, unsure of what had happened. She had been so sure that he was attacking her, but why would she have had that idea?

He walked over as he sheathed the sword, then reached down to help her up. "You okay, Princess?" For a moment, though, she only stared at his hand, not moving. He gave her a questioning look, then smiled brightly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to bite! Come on, we need to get out of here. The whole marketplace is going up!" Finally, she snapped out of it and allowed him to help her up.

He led her back the way he had come to a dark corner by the town walls. He whistled once, quietly, then watched as Epona trotted out of the shadows. The horse looked at them both, then nudged Zelda gently with her nose.

"Don't worry, Epona," she laughed quietly. "I'm fine. Let's just get out of here. Too much has happened lately, and I'm exhausted."

"You got it," Link said cheerfully, surprising her as he lifted her up and put her on the horse, then jumped on in front of her.

"Link! You jerk! Why did you have to go and startle me like that?"

He turned around as he gave her another dazzling smile. "Aw, Zelda, I was just trying to get you to lighten up, that's all!"

"Yeah, well, why don't you startle me, and let the whole of Ganondorf's forces know where we are?"

"Sorry," he apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess I didn't stop to think."

Suddenly, Epona turned around, neighing wildly at shadows that were flickering back in the street.

"Uh, Link," Navi said, panicking as she flew out from under his hat and up in the air, "I think we'd better get going!"

"What's up," he asked. "What is it?"

"Another squad of Moblins, and they're heading this way pretty fast. I think they heard us!" Suddenly, she let out a high shriek before darting back down behind Link. "There's several Stalfos with them, too, Link!"

Zelda looked at him with fear in her eyes. "I think Navi's right, Link. We need to be going, now!"

"Well, since they already know we're here," he said, spurring Epona with the back of his boots, "no sense in being quiet about it. Hold on, Princess. Head for the gates, Epona! As fast as those legs of yours can carry us!"

Epona let out a loud neigh as she reared back on her back feet, kicking out in front, then, in the next instant, they were off, leaving Navi in the dust.

She coughed as she fluttered around, then looked back as the squad neared the corner. "Hey, guys! Wait for me!"

Epona dashed down the roads, taking one turn after another, ultimately leading toward the front of the town. Link couldn't help but admire the horse. Most would shy from the flames, unable to do anything out of fear, but not Epona, no! He doubted if she even gave them a second thought.

"Um, Link," Zelda said from behind, catching his attention. "I think they took control of the guardhouses."

"Why's that?" he asked, not really worried.

Then she pointed ahead. "Because the drawbridge is closing!"

Link looked up to see the drawbridge already halfway closed, and still going up. "Oh, shit!" He bent down to Epona. "Can you make it, girl?"

The horse shook her head, then Link felt his stomach lurch as the horse put on even more speed. It was two-thirds of the way up by the time they hit it, but that didn't seem to slow Epona down in the least. She hit it at full throttle, and didn't lose any of it on the way up. Her hooves landed on the end, and she pushed off of it, sailing over the moat, and in the next instant, they were sailing off over Hyrule Field as the drawbridge to the town slammed shut behind them.

They didn't slow down until they were halfway to Gerudo Valley, when they finally stopped at a small stream under a glade of trees.

"Well, that was fun," Link sighed as he half fell off of Epona. He patted her on the neck. "Good job back there, Epona." She neighed and nudged him back. He went over and helped Zelda down, who was looking at him in shock.

"That's your idea of fun?"

He shrugged. "Well, when you grow up doing it …" He threw his arms up as her look sharpened. "What? I was being sarcastic!"

She turned away from him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, you could try taking things a little more seriously next time. You almost got us caught with your little antic of startling me!"

Link glared back at her. "Take things more seriously? _I_ almost got us caught? My little _antic_?"

"Exactly," she cried, spinning back around toward him. "In case you haven't noticed, the whole world is in danger of falling under Ganondorf! Now is not the time to be making jokes of any kind!"

"_Jokes_," he demanded furiously. "The only _joke_ here is the way you 'warned' me about that gate! Next time, you could cut to the chase and just say it, instead of saying, 'Um, Link, I think they took control of the guardhouses.'"

"Well, if you were paying attention, I wouldn't have had …" She didn't get to finish. Suddenly, they felt a fire burning in their hands, and they clasped the other one over it, screaming as they went down on their knees in pain. As it faded, their eyes opened, blank until they saw the other. Something passed between the two of them for an instant, then they fainted, falling face-forward into the grass.

"Link?" Navi asked, fluttering over them as Epona nudged both of them with her nose. "Princess?" But neither of them answered.

The first thing Link felt when he started to wake up was his throbbing skull. It felt like someone had gotten inside and started swinging around the Megaton Hammer. Then his memory caught up with him, and he shot up in the bed.

"Princess Zelda!" he shouted, but before he could even take in his surroundings, the throbbing multiplied, and he fell back to the pillow, barely able to stay conscious.

"That's right, fairy boy! No sudden movements for you just yet, or, if you'd listen to reason, not for another week, either. Of course, anyone who's ever met you knows how that goes, huh?"

Link tilted his head over on its side, and saw Malon's red head bobbing as she shuffled through a cabinet, finally coming back out with a cloth. She wet it in a basin before coming over to him and putting it on his forehead. He sighed as the warm cloth seemed to drain the pain out of his head.

"Of course," she said, pulling up a chair next to him, "the first question out of your mouth is going to be …"

"Where's Zelda?" he asked, cutting her off, just as she had expected him to do.

"I knew it! No, 'Hello, Malon!' or, 'Nice to see you! How have you been, Malon?' Not even a, 'Thanks for nursing me back to consciousness, Malon!'"

"Malon," Link responded firmly, grabbing hold of her wrist with his closest hand. "The princess?"

"In the other bedroom," she answered, feigning hurt in her voice. "Still out like a rock."

Link, however, saw right through it. "As anyone ever told you, Malon, that you're a fiery red head?"

"No! Really?" she asked sarcastically, giving him an overly astonished look. "When I looked in the mirror this morning, I could have sworn I was a brunette!"

Navi flew in through the window. "Is Link up? I was sure I heard him scream!" She looked down at her partner. "Hey, Sleepyhead! Welcome back to the land of the living!"

Link groaned as he tried to sit up again, but gave up as the pain came back. "What happened? I feel like a rat that just got ran over by a herd of horses."

Navi shrugged her tiny shoulders. "Don't know. You and Zelda were arguing, then suddenly, you two acted like your hands were on fire. Then, you just passed out."

Link was about to ask another question, but suddenly, from across the house, he heard Zelda scream as she snapped awake, then groan as she, too, was forced to lay back down.

Malon straightened her dress out as she stood up. "Well, it sounds like the princess is up, too. I'd better go see what I can do to help her."

As the day crawled on, Link was finally able to force himself out of bed, and, by evening, managed to make it downstairs and into the kitchen. Talon and Ingo were sitting at the table, discussing the chores on the ranch that would need to be done the next day. Malon was in front of the fire, listening carefully as she stirred the contents of a large pot.

Talon looked up as Link stumbled down the stairs. "Ah, Link! You're up!" He turned toward Malon. "Malon, he's up! Isn't that great?"

Malon, however, was less enthusiastic. She turned around to face him, scowling as she put her hands on her hips. "No, it's not. He shouldn't be up yet, and he knows it! I've told him that already!"

Link grinned weakly as he shrugged. "What can I say? I just can't stand to stay in bed all day."

Malon huffed as she went over to him and ushered him over to the table. "Well if you're going to be out of bed, then you're still going to be sitting down!" With that, she forced him down into a chair, glared at him, then went back over to the pot. She dipped the ladle in and blew on it. "Daddy, come over here and taste this, and tell me what you think."

Talon went over and sipped from the ladle, then promptly spit it back out.

Malon looked at him in concern. "Is something wrong? Is it too hot?"

"It's fine, dear, really," he coughed, clapping her on the shoulder. "Let's just take it off the fire and let it cool for a bit, okay?"

Link watched as Talon lifted it off of the fire, and Malon dipped it into bowls. She brought one over to him.

"You want some, Link?" she asked, holding the bowl out. "It's my specialty, Chicken and Keese Stew!"

Now, he knew why Talon had spit it out. Keese was awful meat. There had been times when he had been forced to eat it on long journeys, and even he could barely keep it down. "Uh, no thanks, Malon. I'm going to have to pass. I think I still feel a bit nauseous, just yet."

"Oh, Link," Talon said as he sat back down. "I was out delivering some milk today, and I heard some news that you might find interesting."

"What is it?" Link asked, instantly alert. If it was something that he would find interesting, then it was something about what Ganon had been doing.

"Well, it seems that Hyrule Castle is still under the control of Ganondorf's forces, but there's rumors about that the King of Evil, himself, is actually gone."

"Gone? Gone where?"

Talon shrugged. "No one knows. All that I could find out is that he has left Hyrule. Beyond that, nobody knows."

Link scratched his chin as he tried to think. "But where in the world would he go?"

Promptly, Zelda stumbled down the stairs, bracing herself on the wall. "Not in the world, Link. He's completely gone, and the Triforce of Power with him!"

Link was up and over by her in an instant, and he helped her over to the chair that he had been sitting in. "What do you mean?"

She put her hand out, palm down, to show him her Triforce mark. But there were only two triangles, the Triforce of Courage and the Triforce of Wisdom, represented there. The top one was gone.

Link ripped off his gauntlet to stare at the back of his own hand. Sure enough, there were only two marks. "What's going on?"

Zelda shook her head. "I'm not sure, but I can't sense him here at all. Perhaps it's possible that he has gone to a different time."

Link's mind was whirling. "But this didn't happen when I went through time. The marks stayed where they were, and it didn't hurt!"

"That's because the other two pieces were still there," Zelda answered. "When you went back and forth through time, the other two pieces were still in their proper places. They weren't separated by the shift in time, so they were still in touch with each other. Besides, only your spirit traveled. Your body remained in the Temple of Light. That's why you were able to age. But if Ganondorf could transport his entire being, body and soul, through time, then he could very well take the Triforce of Power with him, leaving only two pieces here."

He shook his head in a vain effort to clear the confusion from his head. "So that's what the burning was? It was his piece of the Triforce being taken from the others?"

"Sounds like, 'ripped from the others,' would be a better description," Malon said, coming over to set bowls in front of her father and Ingo. She offered Zelda one, but Link was behind her, holding his throat and gesturing for her not to accept.

"Um, no thanks, Malon. I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass."

Malon heard Link's clothes rustling and spun around to catch him in the middle of the gesture. "Oh, I get it now, Link! You don't think I can cook!"

Link's hands went from his throat to out in front of him in an instant. "No, Malon! It's not that, honest! You're a wonderful cook! Really, you are!"

"Uh huh. Well, you wouldn't mind eating a bowl of my Chicken and Keese Stew, then, would you?" It wasn't a choice. She backed him into a chair, then slammed a bowl of it in front of him. She got a big spoonful of it, then shoved it into his mouth. "Eat!"

As soon as her back turned, he turned his head to spit it out, but she caught him before he could.

"Oh, and don't try getting rid of it, Link," she said without turning around. "You're going to eat every last bite of it!"

Zelda looked at the bowl for a moment before turning back to Malon. "Did you say Chicken and Keese?"

Malon turned back to her in surprise. "Yes, Princess, I did. Would you like some, after all?"

Zelda actually looked enthusiastic. "Yes, I'd love some!"

Talon, Ingo and Link all stared at her, gaping. "Zelda," Link whispered to her, "you do know what Keese is, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Zelda answered at a normal volume, earning Link a glare from Malon. "I developed a taste for it when I was staying with the Sheikah."

By the next morning, Zelda was ready to go. Link, however, was sick to his stomach, and couldn't do anything without groaning and holding his gut.

"Come on, Link," Zelda urged as she ushered him out of the ranch. "We have to find out what happened to Ganondorf!" She looked over at him from the horse that Talon loaned her. "Oh, stop being such a baby, will you? The stew wasn't that bad!"

"That's easy for you to say," Link muttered as he leaned over Epona. "She didn't make you eat ten bowls of the stuff."

"Well, you shouldn't have insulted her cooking!"

"It was Keese!"

"So?"

Link sighed in defeat. "Never mind."

They headed back to Hyrule Town first, and, surprisingly, found the drawbridge sitting open. They dismounted and tied the horses to a tree where they could reach the water in the moat, then crept inside as soon as Zelda had transformed into her alter ego.

"I don't believe it," Sheik said sadly as his uncovered red eye looked around what was left of the marketplace. "There's nothing left." And there wasn't. The entire place had been burnt to the ground. Here and there, the remainders of a few charred beams could be seen leaning against what was left of stone walls, but besides that, there was nothing. The air was still thick with smoke and the smell of smoldering remains.

"After they torched the place, they must not have seen any reason to stay here," Link reasoned. "I don't hear anything."

Sheik walked over to the smashed remains of the fountain in the center of the square, resting his hand on its cracked and shattered rim. "It doesn't make any sense. He conquered Hyrule Castle. Why would he leave it in ruin? There's no point in it."

Link had been looking at the place where his favorite place in the Marketplace had been, the Bombchu Bowling Alley. There was nothing left of it except the foundation. Apparently, all of the explosives had gone up in the fire. He looked up as an idea occurred to him. "Unless he didn't plan on staying here."

Sheik moved his gaze from the fountain to Link. His eyes narrowed as he tried to think. "What are you talking about, Link?"

Link looked toward Hyrule Castle, and he thought his eyes caught a glimpse of something glimmering for an instant. "Think about it. Is there anything here that he would want that fits in to what we already know?" He sidestepped to get a better view, trying to see it again.

Sheik lowered his head in thought. "No, not that I can think of."

Something clattered in an alley. In an instant, they were at attention. Link had his sword and shield in hand, and Sheik was up and had a dagger ready in his hand. They watched as a metal can rolled out and in front of them.

Link stared at it for a moment before stepping forward, glaring into the shadows of the alleyway. "Whoever's in there, come out! Come out here and reveal yourself, or I'm coming in and throwing your corpse out here, instead!"

Slowly, a darker shadow against the darkness became visible, and limped out into the open.

Sheik's visible eye went wide in recognition. "Impa!" He ran over to her, then helped her over to the fountain, easing her down to sit on the edge. "Impa, what happened?"

"He came for the ocarina, your Highness," Impa coughed, holding her hand on her side. "I couldn't stop him."

"Impa, hold on. I'm going to heal you."

But Impa waved him off. "Don't waste your energy. I'm fine. It's just a scratch."

Sheik's face was clearly unbelieving. "Let me see it, Impa. That's an order."

Impa sighed as she reluctantly lifted her shirt up to reveal a deep gash in her side. It had been bandaged roughly, probably by herself, and the wrap had slipped down.

"This is your idea of a scratch?" he demanded angrily. "You're worse than Link! You shouldn't even be up! Heck, you shouldn't even be alive a day after getting a wound like that!" He moved to heal it, but Impa brushed his hand away again.

Link came over and pushed Sheik to the side as he pulled a glass bottle filled with a blue liquid out of his pouch. "Fine, if you're not going to let Sheik heal you, then at least drink this. That way, you don't need to worry about draining anyone's magic, and, before you say anything, I still have several more, so you don't have an excuse."

Impa looked at the potion distastefully, but took it and drained it in one draught. By the time she handed the bottle back to Link, the wound was almost completely sealed up again.

"That's better," Sheik praised as he backed off. "Now, would you show us what happened?"

Impa nodded as she stood. "Follow me."

Sheik and Link walked behind her. As they left the square, Sheik leaned over toward Link. "Do you really have more of those?"

Link shook his head. "No, that was my last one."

"That's what I thought."

If anything, the destruction inside the castle was worse than what had happened in the marketplace. There wasn't a room where all of the furniture hadn't been shattered and tossed in the middle to torch. Even some of the great stone walls that had stood for centuries had been knocked through in Ganondorf's search for what he was after, and, after that, no doubt raiders had finished up whatever he had started.

Sheik had requested to go into the Princess's room alone, but emerged after only a few moments, his head hung low. He went over to Impa. "The King didn't survive," he said simply, his voice hitching.

Impa probably guessed why, but she held him close to her and asked anyway. "Why? What happened?"

"He's hanging from the middle of my room."

Link put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. For obvious reasons, he had difficulty treating Sheik and Zelda as the same person, even in his own thoughts, and if it had been Zelda in front of him, he would have embraced her, hugging her tightly. Of course, if it had been Zelda in front of him, she would have broken down and started crying her eyes out.

Sheik, however, forced his emotions aside for the moment. "We have to get to the top of the castle. If Ganondorf was going to warp to another time, that's where he'd go to do it.

Link nodded. "Right." He started forward, but stopped when he realized that he didn't know where he was going. "Um," he said, turning around and rubbing the back of his head, "why don't you two lead the way?"

They reached the top of the castle, which looked like it had been leveled by a mighty blast. Rubble covered the area as the sun shown down on the wind-blown remains of the top of what was once the pride of all of Hyrule.

As Link walked into the middle, the back of his hand started to tickle. He reached down to scratch it as he turned back to Sheik. "Hey, Sheik! Come over here and tell me if your piece is picking up anything."

Sheik looked at him for a moment before coming over. Almost immediately, he, too, reached down to rub the back of his hand. "Yes, something is here. There is a lot of magical residue. Someone was using a lot of magical energy."

Link glared up at the clear sky. "I don't think it's much of a mystery who that someone was, do you?"

Impa came up behind them. "No, you are correct. It was Ganondorf. He used the Ocarina of Time and the Triforce of Power to open up a portal."

Sheik rubbed his chin in thought. "But where would he go? He's always been after the other two Triforce pieces, and those are here."

Impa shook her head. "Not necessarily. It is reasonable to assume that, because the Triforce will always exist, if he went far enough into the future, he could go to a time when it is not possessed by anyone, and, in fact, it is not even remembered at all, concealed in the mists of Time, the very element that protects it."

Sheik's eye darkened in worry. "But if the time he went to knows nothing of the Triforce, then they wouldn't have any defense against his onslaught."

"Those were probably his thoughts, as well," Impa answered. "And I fear that you both may be correct.

"Well, then there's only one thing for us to do," Link exclaimed as he lowered his gaze from the sky and drew the Master Sword in one smooth movement. "If he's too much of a coward to come and face us, then we'll just have to go to him!"

Sheik nodded and pulled out his harp as Link drew his wooden Fairy Ocarina. They closed their eyes as they focused on their Triforce pieces. As they did, a melody filled their head, and they played it on their instruments.

v A v A A v 

As they opened their eyes, a yellow portal opened in front of them, and the air seemed to be filled with static. The light reflected in Impa's eyes. "Go, both of you! And don't fail!"

They looked back at her for an instant, nodded quickly, and jumped through.

They fell through onto a hard, tiled floor, Link first, then Zelda fell on top of him. He pushed her off of him as he looked at her in surprise. "Zelda, you changed back!"

She looked down at her gloved hands. "It must have been from going through the portal. Something about it must revert travelers from alternate forms."

Link shook his head as he stood and held his hand out for her. That was too far above him. Magic and its effects wasn't his specialty. "Forget it. Let's just find Ganondorf and stop him before he can cause any trouble."

Zelda nodded as she took his hand, but he almost dropped her as they heard a sudden scream. They walked silently up to a big set of doors and peeked through as a warm feeling flowed through their hands. They didn't have to look down to know that their pieces were glowing. Inside was a big room, with lots of ribbons and decorations. It must have been for some sort of celebration. Judging from the mess all over the floor, the said event had just been rudely interrupted. The cause was right in the middle of the room, grinning like a shark at a boy and a skeleton that stood in front of him, a girl behind them. They gasped at the sight. The boy didn't have a hat, and his hair was brown, but other than that, he looked exactly like Link, and the girl on the ground was a mirror image of Zelda.

Link was going into his battle mindset automatically, and was sizing up the skeleton, Ganondorf, and the room around them, trying to think of the best way to charge in and take them both out quickly. Zelda, however, caught sight of something else.

"Link, look at that boy's sword! Do you recognize it?"

Link's eyes went wide. "The Master Sword!" His hand went to his own scabbard automatically, as if to reassure himself that it was still there.

Zelda nodded. "So this time isn't without some line of defense, after all!"

Link noticed a bad wound on the boy's back. "Not for long," he said, pointing to it. "It looks like he's already met the wrong end of one of Ganondorf's attacks. We have to help them somehow!"

Ganondorf, watching the ensuing fight with great glee, suddenly felt his hand warm. His grin disappeared as he looked to the boy and girl's hands. "Could it be? Is the Triforce already claimed, even here?" Suddenly, it clicked, and he bowed his head as he chuckled. "No, of course not! I would have felt it immediately!" He looked out at nothing in particular and yelled out, "Come out, you two, wherever you are! I know you're here! I know you've followed me! You might as well show yourselves now, and save me the trouble of blowing this place to ruins." His grin returned as his voice lowered. "Like the castle."

Zelda clenched her fists as tears rolled down her cheeks. She started glowing as she screamed, already transforming into her alter ego again. "You monster," Sheik yelled, bursting forward. "You murdered my father! I'll kill you!" A dagger was in his hand in an instant, and he charged, aiming for Ganondorf's throat.

"Sheik, no! Get back!" Link yelled in response, bursting from his hiding place as well, and charging forward to stop him.

Ganondorf's Gerudo reflexes were too fast, though, and he grabbed Sheik by the wrist, and threw him to the ground. His sword appeared in a flare of dark fire, and he reared back to strike, but as he swung down, Link was there to intercept the attack with the Master Sword.

Ganondorf growled. "You are a real pest, boy! Why don't you ever stay gone?"

Link growled back as he tried to fight the Gerudo King's bulk, the energy from the two swords crackling. "For the same reason you never stay dead, Ganon dork! My job isn't finished yet!" He let the Master Sword slide down Ganon's dark blade, and he thrust forward with his shoulder, sending the Gerudo off-balance.

Ganondorf staggered back, regaining his footing as he took a moment to plan his attack.

Paul and the skeleton had both turned at the interruption, surprised at the sudden entrance of Sheik and Link. Paul didn't know if there was enough brain matter left for the boy's skeleton to recognize them, but he did, and he was in shock.

As Ganondorf staggered back, the skeleton shifted, unsure of what to do. It didn't know whether it was supposed to continue to face Paul, or to attack the person who looked like him in defense of its master. Paul noticed, and was determined to take advantage of the situation.

He ran forward, sword pulled back. He swung down hard, and the sword seemed to burn through the charred remains like a flame through paper. No sooner had the sword exited the other side than the skeleton collapsed, engulfed in flames as it turned to dust.

He looked down at the blade in surprise, and noticed it glowing with a blue light. Paul looked over at the Master Sword in Link's hand, and saw that it, too, was glowing. It was then that he really realized why the sword he found in the forest so long ago looked just like the Master Sword.

He got one word out as it hit him. "Holy …"

But Andi interrupted him. "Paul!"

"Huh?" He spun around in surprise, only to clash blades with a Gerudo that jumped down at him. A side-glance to Link and Sheik showed him that they, too, were being held back.

Ganondorf chuckled as he backed off. "So sorry to disappoint you, Link, but I'm not quite ready to deal with two of you just yet. Besides, I have other matters to attend to." With that, he walked out.

Link broke away from the Gerudo attacking him, then sent her back with a kick. "Get back here and fight, Ganondorf!" He started to chase after him, but the Gerudo got back up and threw her scythe after him, laying his back open, and he fell to the ground in pain. The Gerudo jumped at him, but he stuck his sword up, and she landed on it. He rolled over and pulled his sword out as he stood. He went over to help Sheik.

"You know what I wish, Sheik?" he asked as he knocked the Gerudo's blades away.

"What?" he asked as his spin kick sent the Gerudo back into the wall.

Link dashed forward, and hit her across the head with the handle of his sword, knocking her out. "That I hadn't given Impa that blasted potion!"

The last Gerudo, realizing that it had suddenly became three-on-one, was quick to break away from Paul and ran out after Ganondorf.

Sheik changed back into Zelda and ushered Link over to a bench. "Sit down and let me see what I can do about it."

Andi led Paul over to her, as well. "Can you take a look at Paul, as well? I'll go find a first aid kit."

The two of them stared at each other, each of them seeming to be looking into a mirror. Finally, Zelda broke Andi's gaze. "Don't worry about it. That isn't necessary." She put her hands to Link's back, and her hands glowed for a moment as the wound sealed over, healing itself.

Andi gasped in surprise. Paul, too, was taken aback. He knew Zelda could do that, but seeing it done in front of him was another thing entirely.

Zelda looked up at them questioningly. "What? Don't you have any magic in this time at all?"

Paul shook his head. "No, no magic at all. Of course, Hylians don't exist here, either."

Link looked up in surprise. "You mean, there aren't any Hylians left anywhere?"

Paul shook his head again. "No, none whatsoever. If you ever did exist here, you've long since gone extinct."

Link looked away as he tried to absorb that. "Well, that's one heck of a cold revelation! We've come here to save the future, and we don't even have a single descendant!"

Zelda spoke again as another thought came to her. "If there aren't any Hylians, how did you know that's what we are?"

Paul grinned widely. "Because you're famous! A company called Nintendo made games where you two were the central characters, and it became a hit. Half the world knows about your fights against Ganondorf!"

Link looked at them with wide eyes as he and Paul switched places. "I'm in a game?" He stopped for a moment, then asked, "Who plays me?"

Paul looked up at him in surprise, then laughed. "No one but whoever's playing the game! It's a video game, displayed on a television."

Zelda looked over at him curiously as she healed his injuries. "Video game? Television?"

Andi shook her head as she pulled Paul over and whispered in his ear. "Paul, they're from the past, right? They don't know anything about modern technology."

Paul grinned sheepishly. "Oh, yeah. That's right." He turned back to Link and Zelda. "Well, come on, I'll show you! We need to go back to our apartment and change into some normal clothes, anyway. These costumes are kinda stuffy. It might be a good idea if you do the same, so you blend in better. While you're changing, I'll show you what I mean!"

"Normal clothes?" Link asked, plucking at his own outfit. "What's wrong with my Kokiri Tunic?"

"Nothing," Andi answered. "It's just that it's about 500 years out of style, and Paul's right. You'll both stick out like sore thumbs if you go around dressed like that."

Navi picked that time to pop out from under Link's hat. "Hey, Link, are we there yet? When you went through the portal, I think I got knocked out, and …" She found herself looking at Paul, and suddenly looked down at Link to make sure she was under the right hat. She shook her head as she hung upside-down over his eyes. "Nope, you're really Link. Who's the other guy?"

Andi's eyes went wide at the sight. "A fairy?"

Navi looked up at her. "Princess? What's wrong with you?"

Zelda smiled lightly as she waved. "I'm over here, Navi."

Navi looked over, looked back, and then over at Zelda again, and almost fell off of Link's head in shock. "What's going on here?"

"We're not sure just yet, Navi," Link explained as he gingerly plucked her loose from his hair, "but I think that these might be our future counterparts."

She flew up in their faces, looking from one to the other. She took a moment to stare into Paul's eyes, then went back to Link, landing on his shoulder and leaning against him like a wall. "Yeah, I could see how that would work. Especially the guy. He doesn't have your hair, but he's definitely got your eyes. The girl, well, she looks so much like Zelda it's just creepy!"

Link laughed as Paul and Andi just stared.

Suddenly, Zelda's ears pricked. "What's that sound? It sounds like one of our hand-cranked emergency sirens, but different."

Paul strained to hear something, but couldn't. After a few minutes, however, he heard what she was talking about. "That's a police siren!"

While Paul was worried, Zelda was suddenly ecstatic. "Good! They can bring us to your king, and we can present our case to him!"

Paul shook his head. "No, you don't understand! There hasn't been a king in this country for 300 years! We run under a government called a Republic. But that's not the point! We have to get out of here!"

Zelda looked at him suspiciously. "You aren't an outlaw, are you?"

"What?" Paul looked at her in surprise, but then shook his head again. "No, I'm not. But look around you! This place looks like Armageddon hit early! There's a couple of dead and unconscious bodies, and Link and I are standing here with swords! How do you think that will look? And the fact that you guys aren't human won't exactly make things look much better!"

Link caught on to Paul's worries. He grabbed Zelda's arms. "He's right, Princess. We'd better just get out of here. We don't want any trouble that might keep us from tracking Ganondorf down."

Zelda nodded. "Very well. Let's go."

They started off, but Paul held back. "Hey, wait! We almost forgot …" He turned around toward where Darunia had been, but he was gone.

"What?" Link turned around, too, though he was tensed, obviously eager to get out of there.

Paul just shook his head. "Darunia was here, but it's like he's disappeared!"

Link grinned. "Don't worry! If there's a guy that can take care of himself, it's Darunia! Besides, he probably just used his abilities as a sage to pop in and back out."

Paul nodded in understanding, and they ran out the back just as the police cars pulled up in front.


End file.
